Meiosis Cell Division (2024)

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Meiosis Cell Division? ›

Meiosis is a type of cell division that reduces the number of chromosomes in the parent cell by half and produces four gamete cells. This process is required to produce egg and sperm cells for sexual reproduction.

Meiosis is a process where a single cell divides twice to produce four cells containing half the original amount of genetic information. During meiosis one cell divides twice to form four daughter cells. These four daughter cells only have half the number of chromosomes of the parent cell – they are haploid.

In meiosis 1 the hom*ologous chromosomes separate from each other, whereas, in meiosis 2 the sister chromatids separate. In meiosis 1 two diploid daughter cells are produced, whereas, in meiosis 2 four haploid daughter cells are produced.

Definition. Meiosis is a type of cell division in sexually reproducing organisms that reduces the number of chromosomes in gametes (the sex cells, or egg and sperm).

Meiosis is a type of cell division that reduces the number of chromosomes in the parent cell by half and produces four gamete cells. This process is required to produce egg and sperm cells for sexual reproduction.

Meiosis is the process of the formation of gametes or sex cells. In this process single cell divides twice resulting in the formation of four daughter cells. In the process of meiosis, the number of chromosomes reduces to half the number of chromosomes in the mother cell.

In this process, we begin with a cell with double the normal amount of DNA, and end up with 4 non-identical haploid daughter gametes after two divisions. There are six stages within each of the divisions, namely prophase, prometaphase, metaphase, anaphase, telophase and cytokinesis.

There are two kinds of cell division: mitosis and meiosis. What's the Difference? Mitosis produces two genetically identical “daughter” cells from a single “parent” cell, whereas meiosis produces cells that are genetically unique from the parent and contain only half as much DNA.

Therefore the purpose of meiosis is to produce gametes, the sperm and eggs, with half of the genetic complement of the parent cells. In the figures below, pink represents a genetic contribution from mom and blue represents a genetic contribution from dad.

What is the end result of meiosis? ›

Meiosis results in the production of four daughter cells, each with half the number of chromosomes as the parent cell. Key events that occur during meiosis:During meiosis, the chromosomes in the parent cell first replicate, and the resulting structures are called sister chromatids.

In females, meiosis begins during the fetal stage when a series of diploid cells enter meiosis I. At the conclusion of meiosis I, the process comes to a halt, and the cells gather in the ovaries. At puberty, meiosis resumes. One cell at the end of meiosis I enters meiosis II each month.

The fusion of the egg and sperm is called fertilization. Fertilization is the process by which the male and female gametes fuse to give rise to zygote.

Normally, meiosis causes each parent to give 23 chromosomes to a pregnancy. When a sperm fertilizes an egg, the union leads to a baby with 46 chromosomes. But if meiosis doesn't happen normally, a baby may have an extra chromosome (trisomy), or have a missing chromosome (monosomy).

Meiosis is a special type of cell division. Unlike mitosis, the way normal body cells divide, meiosis results in cells that only have half the usual number of chromosomes, one from each pair. For that reason, meiosis is often called reduction division.

When cells divide during meiosis, hom*ologous chromosomes are randomly distributed to daughter cells, and different chromosomes segregate independently of each other. This called is called independent assortment. It results in gametes that have unique combinations of chromosomes.

In multicellular plants and animals, however, meiosis is restricted to the germ cells, where it is key to sexual reproduction. Whereas somatic cells undergo mitosis to proliferate, the germ cells undergo meiosis to produce haploid gametes (the sperm and the egg).

The four daughter cells resulting from meiosis are haploid and genetically distinct. The daughter cells resulting from mitosis are diploid and identical to the parent cell.

Mitosis (the M phase)

The process of mitosis, or cell division, is also known as the M phase. This is where the cell divides its previously-copied DNA and cytoplasm to make two new, identical daughter cells. Mitosis consists of four basic phases: prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase.

What happens during meiosis I? As previously mentioned, the first round of nuclear division that occurs during the formation of gametes is called meiosis I. It is also known as the reduction division because it results in cells that have half the number of chromosomes as the parent cell.